"The office of the Prince of Wales has said he had a right and a duty to communicate privately with the government "on any matter he chooses", after the extent of his private meetings with ministers came under renewed questioning...The high court ruled last month that the public has no right to read documents that would reveal how Charles has sought to alter government policies. Three judges rejected a legal attempt by the Guardian to force the publication of private letters written by the prince to government ministers. However, Lord Judge, the lord chief justice of England and Wales, and two other judges have given the Guardian permission to appeal against the decision. The appeal, which is due to be heard in the court of appeal this year, will be the latest stage in an eight-year battle by the newspaper to view a set of letters written by the prince to ministers in seven government departments over a nine-month period. The cabinet decided that the letters must remain hidden after concluding that they could undermine the public's perception of the prince's political neutrality. Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, has said that if the letters were published there was a risk that the heir to the throne would be "viewed by others as disagreeing with government policy"." The Guardian (12th August 2013)